Is there a right to a payslip on paper?

According to the German Federal Labour Court, employees cannot demand a payslip on paper – digital delivery satisfies the text form required by law. The condition: the payslip is clearly legible, can be stored permanently and meets the requirements of § 126b of the German Civil Code (BGB).

Key points

On 28 January 2025 the Federal Labour Court ruled that there is no statutory right to a payslip on paper – the text form under § 108 (1) sentence 1 of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO) is sufficient.
Text form requires a clearly legible, permanently storable and unalterable document – no signature is needed.
Email, PDF or provision in an employee portal meet the criteria, as long as access is secure and permanent.
Employers must offer a way to print on site – above all for employees without regular access to digital devices.
Electronic payslips reduce running costs and paper use; in return, security and open communication about the change are needed.

What counts as text form?

Text form under § 126b BGB is less strict than written form: it requires no handwritten signature, but that the statement is legible, delivered on a durable medium and documented unaltered. A durable medium allows the recipient to keep the information for a reasonable period and reproduce it unchanged. Common routes:

PDF documents in a digital employee inbox
Payslips by email
Downloads from the company’s protected internal portal

Digital provision is enough

Digital delivery meets all legal requirements where employees have permanent access to the payslip and can store and reproduce it unaltered. A printout on paper is therefore not strictly necessary – employers may offer digital solutions only, provided they meet the text form.

What employers have to ensure in practice

Employers meet their obligation under § 108 GewO when payslips are available digitally in a password-protected employee inbox and access is secure at all times. Where an employee has no device of their own, the company must provide a way to view and print – so that nobody is excluded from receiving important documents.

These points secure the legal position:

Provision through a secure, password-protected digital employee inbox
Technically reliable, permanently secured access for employees
A way to print on company premises, particularly for employees without a device of their own

Think of the contract and the works council

Employers can use digital solutions as long as the employment contract or a works agreement does not say otherwise. It is worth reviewing existing contracts or agreeing rules for digital payslips together with the works council – the ruling strengthens legal certainty and saves resources.

Conclusion

The paperless payslip is not only permitted but legally sound where it meets the requirements of § 126b BGB. For employers that means lower costs and less paper, and faster administration – as long as secure, permanent access is guaranteed and the change is communicated openly.